


Toxic Waters

by SteampunkCow



Category: Homestuck, MythStuck - Fandom, mermaidstuck - Fandom
Genre: Exploration, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Mermaids, Mythology - Freeform, Prejudice, Stridercest - Freeform, Tension, mermaid au, merman!Dave, mythologystuck, nymph!Dirk, racial issues, relationships, seacreatures, some blood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-10
Updated: 2014-08-28
Packaged: 2018-02-04 02:54:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1763471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteampunkCow/pseuds/SteampunkCow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dave is a merman, deserted by his clan and alone in the poisoned waters of a tropical land- sickened from the toxicity of his surroundings, he washes up on a beach where he is found by a natural enemy of his kind- a nymph.<br/>This nymph's name is Dirk, and he doesn't know what to do with Dave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (another frickin roleplay from cherubplay, but it is soo good I cant not post it.)  
> (edit: I lost the cherubplay account, so until i can find a way to get it back, this is discontinued.)

The water was toxic.   
Dave knew that. He had known that when the rest of his and Bro's clan left. They had stayed though. No reason to go with others that hate you, right? His brother had been killed about a month ago. Some stupid dispute over territory or something like that. Bro being killed left Dave on his own. He knew how to hunt and defend himself. Bro made sure to know that Dave knew that. I but Dave knew the water was killing him. It was slow and painful. He had days better than others, but today was definitely not one of his good days. He felt as if he couldn't breathe. Dave had swam into shallower water without even knowing it, too focused on trying to get the gills on his sides and his neck. He had been like this all night and it had carried on into the light that was slowly starting to filter through the water. He swam further towards the shore, the early morning light glinting off of the bright red scales of his tail. When he noticed how far up he had come, he didn't even try to swim back, too tired. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind, the same part that was screaming for him to swim back, knew that the tide was going out. He ignored that instinct and pulled himself up on the sand and sucking in some pure air before passing out.

Dirk didn't know how long he had been running up the shoreline- but it was long enough that it made the slits along his neck and rib cage burn. He could breathe air easily enough- he had human lungs, but sometimes he just wanted to douse himself in water. Dive in and never return. But after the rivers and surrounding lakes had been infected with a poison of the land.. He could no longer do that. The nymph found himself in a small cover- the dark water crept up the sandy beach with a noxious foam that made him frown. All he wanted to do was swim- but not in that. Not here at least, some places were cleaner than others. This, well, this place only had its beach and rocky alcoves to say anything for it. Dirks wrapped feet kicked up sand as he trotted to a walk and then a stand still- looking over the brim of the sand his eyes caught on a flash a bit further down the cove. He loped over, a bound hand brushing his blonde hair from his eyes as he approached what now looked like a figure strewn about the sand. Dirk had seen mermaids before.. er, mermen... more so the first, they tended to maintain a habitual prejudice against his kind. So he definitely had a familiarity with the cruelty of some, and the strength of others. But he had never seen one look so vulnerable. He knelt down and drew his finger over the boys cheek. "what did you forget that you don't have legs or something?" His eyebrow furrowed, the other looked sick, not just a little- but full on this kid looked like he was dying. Merman or Human or not, Dirk didn't like seeing anyone in such a position. His orange eyes glanced out to the coast and he frowned. This guy wouldnt even be able to swim back, the tide was too far out for anyone with a tail to manage it. "seriously, you're kind of out of your element."

Dave groaned at the noise, the damp sand giving way as his webbed fingers clenched into a fist. He didn't want to be bothered, especially at a time like this. He opened his eyes just slightly, the bright red iris, the same exact color of his tail, catching sight of the nymph kneeling above him. "Go the fuck away..." He grumbled, his voice coming out sounding scratchy, like the sand from around him had crawled into his throat and managed to stay there. Or maybe it was just because he had been out of the water for so long. "I know I am." His voice kept the same tone to it, but he closed his eyes again, barely having any strength to even hold them up anymore. He felt like he was going to pass out again. He had never really met a nymph. He had never wanted to, either. He had heard stories of them though, none of them painting the nymphs in a good light. Back when the clan was around with him and his brother, older mers would sometimes go out and hunt other creatures, including nymphs and humans alike. He had always assumed that that was what had put the nymphs and the mers at such great odds for so long, but he had never had any decided to hunt anything besides the fist around the reef, so he didn't, even when his peers would try and goad him into it.

It was Dirks automatic reaction to react sharply to a mermaids viewpoint of him. They didn't even know about him. They really didn't know shit- neither did the humans. That's why he had been running- those bastards had finally found a great reason to come after him with their spears. Difference. Dirk had the gall to walk into town earlier with his gills uncovered. He had somehow thought that maybe, just maybe noone would call out the tiny cream orange colored frills just beneath the shadow of his jaw. His tan skin blended well enough with it- but the thin iridescence of the golden specks caught in the sunlight wrong and bam- suddenly he had a knife at his back and another at his throat it didnt end well. He didn't want to look at his shoulders yet- he had promptly decided to ignore the sting that was exed over his back. He could heal well enough anyways. "my bad, i didn't know you were squared off to be roast on the sand. I'll come back later and enjoy myself some mermaid, maybe it'll taste as good as my brother did to you guys." He stands up- his joints popping with his unease and he glared down. Resisting the urge to spit on him. He'd feel guilty later for what he said now, it was just the rage from everything that had happened.. he had a hard time not taking it out on others.. but at least this was verbally. . . he didn't want to think about what would happen if a nymph like him physically attacked another being. His ability was superior to humans and inpart to mermaids, he could run- but they could swim at incredible speeds. The advantage wasnt on his side. "not my problem if you dont want help"

Dave let out a low hiss, pulling his upper lip back to reveal a row of sharp teeth. They were carnivores after all. His breathing was getting more and more labored as the sun bore down on him, the air seemingly getting thicker with every breath, and not in a good way like water would feel right about now. He tried to keep that fact to himself, but it was getting harder and harder to do so. He didn't want to ask the nymph for help, and he didn't plan. If he died out here in the sun then so be it. It was better than being put back into the poisoned water that he had come from. He would rather die like this than being slowly poisoned. "And maybe I'll taste as good as my brother did to one of you guys, too." He growls, his voice quiet, but menacing. He used the last of his strength to glare up at the nymph above him before passing out again on the sand. His hand that had clenched a few thousand grains of it slowly released, a little colour coming back Into his fingers as the blood returned. He should have thought that through a little more. He may not have been able to have been put back into the water he had come from, but if he had thought through his actions more, maybe the nymph could have helped him get to another body of water. Their races weren't on the best of terms, but that didn't mean they had to be, right?

 

Dirk bit back a salty reply. He may not have been a carnivore, but he could bite hard. Not to mention his spite wasnt something to be trifled with. There was a reason he hadnt been eaten yet. He rolled his palm on the back of his neck, trying to ease the irritation of his gills. He felt a twang of regret. He could find some revenge when it was against someone who could fight back. With a growl that sounded suspiciously like a series of dry bubbles leaving his gills , the nymph knelt down, trying to avoid getting more sand in his loose pants that were cut up the edges and held in with sift gold bands at his knees. He slipped his hands underneath the mermans shoulders ad he lifted him up. He locked his knees and slung the merman unceremoniously onto his shoulders. the boys tail tapped against his legs and he could feel the scales scratching the loose fabric of his toga. He grumbled, the ring about his neck cut into the skin at his throat- restraining his gills with the extra weight. He lugged the mermaid the distance to the water and dipped him in. it was shallow enough that he wouldnt be able to swim away, Dirk sat down on a rock, watching the unconscious mermaid for another moment before he sighed. alright he couldnt stand it and it went against every ingrained sliver if hate in his race but he had to help somehow.   
\-- Dirk returned thirty minutes later with some herbs he had collected, he began gently rubbing a cooling poultice on his skin, it had helped him dealing with the sun, but there really wasnt anything to do for the toxicity of the water. "one of these days,"


	2. Chapter 2

Dave woke up, coughing harshly. He was back in the water, and it provided some relief for his sun-dried flesh and gills, but made it no easier for him to breath. He turns his head slightly to the side to look at the nymph that was kneeling beside him, rubbing herbs into his skin that kind of stung.  
"...Thought you said you weren't going to help me?" He mumbled quietly. He had still breathing hard and could see the water ripple around him. "What are you even doing?" He asks, and then clears his throat before coughing again. He had a feeling he would probably be doing that a lot.   
"Kinda stings..." He lays his head back on the sand and stares at the sky above him, keeping an eye on the nymph out of the corner of his eye as well as he could. He was tired and he couldn't seem to keep his focus very well.

 

The nymph grumbled something that sounded like a blow against mer people before he looked up, his sunset eyes shaded by a brow of concentration. He quirked it, clearing his expression and resetting it as one with a deceptively bored layer over his loathing.   
"its to soothe your skin. you did get pretty fuckin' crispy on the beach. whats the expression? a beached whale? yeah, one whale if a racial ego." he wasn't particularly meaning to sound spiteful in his sarcastic tone. But it hadn't been on his agenda to be helping out a merman anytime soon. Dirk sighed. He really wasn't that much of an ass.  
"i'll stop helping if you don't want my aid. I'm just sayin' i at least know a thing or two to help aquatic creatures out" He mumbled halfheartedly, his lithe fingers kneading the green herbs into the boys skin, slipping it between his scales with feather light touches.the solution gave everything a bizarre green tone that made his vibrant scales look brown, but at least Dirk could already see it making a difference on the mer's skin.  
"it stings because its workin'" he said almost apologetically, but his voice was too curt, too sharp to hold any real repentance in it. He was just tense. long day or something.

 

"Well then..." He mumbles, closing his eyes again and ignoring the sting of his skin and trying a little harder to ignore the fingers under his scales. It wasn't exactly a place he liked touched, but he wasn't about to snap at the nymph when the other male had helped him back to the water. Even if that was the thing he was trying to get away from. "Thanks..." He mumbles quietly. He wanted the other to hear him say it, because he was grateful, but he didn't exactly want to say it to a nymph.   
"Why did you help me anyways?" He asks, a little louder this time, but not by much. His throat wasn't the most perfect thing in the world after drying out and then coughing up what felt like a gill. He was being poisoned and he knew it. Once the nymph left him he would go crawl up on some other beach. Or maybe try to swim out of it before he died. But he didn't know how far it spread... Maybe that wasn't a good idea.

 

"because.." Dirk began, trying to figure a way to say what he thought without sounding like an utter airhead. i hope for world peace and no hunger also i like fish... yeah that didnt sound particularly favorable on his tongue. it might work for pageants, but not against an age old enemy.. "i don't like people dying when i can do something. " he gave another disgruntled bubble of a hiss, his fingers skittering up the edge of Dave's tail- smearing the rest of what was on his hands into the ridges. "even if it is for a fin." he said using the name nymphs had for mer-people. almost a racial slur, but a bit more polite than saying a sea-slug.   
Dirk took in a breath as if to say something, but instead he bit back his words, his pointed ears pricking up. His eyes grew dark and he made another hissing sound, but this one was lower, threatening. His attention was diverted by the sounds of yelling and the pounding of feet in shallow water, splashes growing ever closer. He stood up, his posture arched and his gills flared, his eyes slits within the geometric markings around them.   
Humans. The hunting party from early had caught his scent or whatever. but one thing for sure he couldn't stay here. He made to run, dash away from the scene, but he looked down at the stranded creature before him and cursed. They'd turn him into sashimi and worse, all bundled up in foul smelling seaweed. That was a fate he didn't really want brought on anyone... gritting his teeth, he knelt down once more.  
" How long can you be out of the water?" His voice was dead serious as he fought to not panic. The extra weight would slow him down significantly, but now he was committed to helping this... thing... as soon as Dirk heard the voices of the hunting party clearer, he didn't wait for the others answer, and he slid his arms underneath the merman roughly and certainly not courteously.   
He hissed again at a sharp sensation on his arm, but he turned away from the water and began running again, keeping to the shoreline as best he could, looking for a cave or something. Anything... instead, Dirk turned inland, Tilting the mer almost effortlessly onto his shoulders again as he curved into the underbrush just barely inland. Remotely he knew of a small pool that he could drop the mer off in, but it was far from the coast, and he could only hope the hunting party wouldn't catch up.

 

Dave almost laughed at that. A nymph helping a mer because the other make didn't like seeing things die. Most of the nymphs would have left him for dead. If a mer washed up on shore that was their problem, right? No point in us trying to talk him out of suicide if he has already committed to it so far as to pull himself up on a beach, right? At least that was what he heard. Maybe the nymphs weren't so bad after all. Maybe he had spoken too soon. When the nymph above him had first hissed, he had initially thought it was towards him, but then he noticed the pricked ears. And then he heard the footsteps and yelling. How could humans have gotten this close without him noticing? There was no way... Maybe he was more injured than he realized. Dave didn't realize the nymph had spoken to him, asked him a question, until he was roughly picked up. He bit back a few curses at the pain that flared along his spine and the fin that ran along it that had been crushed by the nymph's arms. He could deal with a little pain. Better than being turned to food for the humans.   
"I can stay out for about thirty minutes without passing out if I need to. It's not suggested, though..." He mumbles, trying to keep himself relaxed. He had seen humans and multiple other creatures run before, but would have never thought it would be this bumpy.

 

The nymphs gait was surprisingly graceful in comparison t other beasts, but Dave wouldnt be one to know that. .. Dirk shifted the weight of the merman more onto his shoulders, looping Daves arms around his neck. He moved one of his own arms to hold the other to his back, and his free arm wrapped beneath Daves tail, making sure he wouldnt get too many abrasions from the forest floor as he ran.... The blonde nymph ran like this for nearly twenty minutes every once in a while he'd speed up even more , wanting to lose their pursuit quickly. From his weaving and constant movement, it was pretty evident that he had done this probably more often than he'd like to admit.. Against whatever he would say, Nymphs were the hunted.   
Dirks gills were burning again, and his vision was beginning to tunnel- he hadnt had any water all day, and nor had he treated himself from the days earlier chase. It barely occurred to him that having the merman on his back would most likely result in his orange yellow blood staining them both as the cuts reopened from the jostling. Nor had it occurred to him that the cut he had received earlier on his arm from the mers scales would leave a bright trail if his blood dripped during his run. He was too tired to think of it. and hopefully it was just light enough that his blood wouldnt glow like the sun in a great highlighting path to them.   
But they finally reached the pool, and without so much as a 'ready?' Dirk upended the merman into the cool water.

 

Dave could tell that the nymph was having trouble running after a while. He didn't say anything, knowing for a fact that if he even tried to get him to stop, he would only get a sharp retort in reply. Dave also knew that they didn't need to stop. They had humans hunting them now, and he knew that if they were caught, the would probably both be tortured and killed. Dave also noticed the blood the dripped from the nymph's back and arm. The first few spots left a quite obvious trail after them and he knew that the humans would pick up on that very quickly. Some of them may not be very bright, but some were smarter than even he knew. Dave started discreetly catching the orange-yellow blood in a hand, his webbing between his fingers slowly being stained a different color. He made sure no more drops his the forest floor and the nymph weaved them in between the trees like an expert. Dave hadn't even seen the small pool until he was rudely dumped into it, a few drops of the nymph's blood flying out of his hand and landing on nearby foliage. Luckily most of it was taken in the water with him. As he sank in the water he took a multitude of large breaths, reveling in the clean water. He could finally breathe again.

 

Dirk stood at the pools edge, his chest shuddering and his gills still flared, the delicate folds trembling around his neck. His back stung like he had decided to lay on a bed of urchins, and he swallowed a growl with a dry mouth. His whole body glistened with a thin sheen of sweat, it was not often that he ran that hard nor that fast in a while. In his irritation at treating the mer, he had forgotten briefly that he was on the run, and by the time he had remembered? well. He swiveled his head to look over his shoulder, making positive that they had lost them before he looked back to the pool and sat down at the edge, breathing harshly through dry gills, his mouth hanging slightly open. His whole being focusing on getting air again. His head pounded, the orange of his eyes dimmed a bit before he lurched to the side. He was exhausted, and he had lost a lot of blood. Due to the thin nature of a nymphs skin, he night be able to heal fast, but when he bled, he bled a lot, and fast. It was a defense mechanism in a way. His strange colored blood was poisonous if consumed in large quantities, not to mention its sour taste repulsed many from eating them. Nymphs had evolved to bleed more when they were bitten, like a venomous fish, to get spat back out by the predator. but right now it wasn't doing Dirk much good. His gills flickered dryly again, the flaps native only to nymphs slipped over the orange folds of his gills, hiding them when his body realized they weren't doing any good. like a hood over the folds, hiding them and protecting them again from the dry air. Dirks eyes fell shut and his erratic breathing became even more rare as fell off into an uncomfortable half sleep, borderline of unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for taking forever to ever update... yeah, well here we go~  
> -D

Dave woke up, coughing harshly. He was back in the water, and it provided some relief for his sun-dried flesh and gills, but made it no easier for him to breath. He turns his head slightly to the side to look at the nymph that was kneeling beside him, rubbing herbs into his skin that kind of stung.  
"...Thought you said you weren't going to help me?" He mumbled quietly. He had still breathing hard and could see the water ripple around him. "What are you even doing?" He asks, and then clears his throat before coughing again. He had a feeling he would probably be doing that a lot.  
"Kinda stings..." He lays his head back on the sand and stares at the sky above him, keeping an eye on the nymph out of the corner of his eye as well as he could. He was tired and he couldn't seem to keep his focus very well.

The nymph grumbled something that sounded like a blow against mer people before he looked up, his sunset eyes shaded by a brow of concentration. He quirked it, clearing his expression and resetting it as one with a deceptively bored layer over his loathing. "its to soothe your skin. you did get pretty fuckin crispy on the beach. whats the expression? a beached whale? yeah, one whale if a racial ego." he wasnt particularly meaning to sound spiteful in his sarcastic tone. But it hadnt been on his agenda to be helping out a merman anytime soon. Dirk sighed. He really wasnt that much of an ass. "i'll stop helping if you dont want my aid. im just sayin i at least know a thing or two to help aquatic creatures out" He mumbled half heartedly, his lithe fingers kneading the green herbs into the boys skin, slipping it between his scales with feather light touches.the solution gave everything a bizarre green tone that made his vibrant scales look brown, but at least Dirk could already see it making a difference on the mer's skin. "it stings because its workin" he said almost apologetically, but his voice was too curt, too sharp to hold any real repentance in it. He was just tense. long day or something. 

"Well then..." He mumbles, closing his eyes again and ignoring the sting of his skin and trying a little harder to ignore the fingers under his scales. It wasn't exactly a place he liked touched, but he wasn't about to snap at the nymph when the other male had helped him back to the water. Even if that was the thing he was trying to get away from. "Thanks..." He mumbles quietly. He wanted the other to hear him say it, because he was grateful, but he didn't exactly want to say it to a nymph. "Why did you help me anyways?" He asks, a little louder this time, but not by much. His throat wasn't the most perfect thing in the world after drying out and then coughing up what felt like a gill. He was being poisoned and he knew it. Once the nymph left him he would go crawl up on some other beach. Or maybe try to swim out of it before he died. But he didn't know how far it spread... Maybe that wasn't a good idea. 

"because.." Dirk began, trying to figure a way to say what he thought without sounding like an utter airhead. i hope for world peace and no hunger also i like fish... yeah that didnt sound particularly favorable on his tongue. it might work for pageants, but not against an age old enemy.. "i dont like people dying when i can do something. " he gave another disgruntled bubble of a hiss, his fingers skittering up the edge of Daves tail- smearing the rest of what was on his hands into the ridges. "even if it is for a fin." he said using the name nymphs had for merpeople. almost a racial slur, but a bit more polite than saying a seaslug. Dirk took in a breath as if to say something, but instead he bit back his words, his pointed ears pricking up. His eyes grew dark and he made another hissing sound, but this one was lower, threatening. His attention was diverted by the sounds of yelling and the pounding of feet in shallow water, splashes growing ever closer. He stood up, his posture arched and his gills flared, his eyes slits within the geometric markings around them. Humans. The hunting party from early had caught his scent or whatever. bu one thing for sure he couldnt stay here. He made to run, dash away from the scene, but he looked down at the stranded creature before him d cursed. Theyd turn him into sashimi and worse, all bundled up in foul smelling seaweed. that was a fate he didnt really want brought on anyone... gritting his teeth, he knelt down once more " How long can you be out of the water?" His voice was dead serious as he fought to not panic. The extraweight would slow him down significantly, but now he was committed to helping this... thing... as soon as Dirk heard the voices of the hunting party clearer, he didnt wait for the others answer, and he slid his arms underneath the merman roughly and non-courteously. He hissed again at a sharp sensation on his arm, but he turned away from the water and began running again, keeping to the shoreline as best he could, looking for a cave or something. Anything... instead, Dirk turned inland, Tilting the mer almost effortlessly onto his shoulders again as he curved into the underbrush just barely inland. Remotely he knew of a small pool that he could drop the mer off in, but it was far from the coast, and he could only hope the hunting party wouldnt catch up. 

Dave almost laughed at that. A nymph helping a mer because the other make didn't like seeing things die. Most of the nymphs would have left him for dead. If a mer washed up on shore that was their problem, right? No point in us trying to talk him out of suicide if he has already committed to it so far as to pull himself up on a beach, right? At least that was what he heard. Maybe the nymphs weren't so bad after all. Maybe he had spoken too soon. When the nymph above him had first hissed, he had initially thought it was towards him, but then he noticed the pricked ears. And then he heard the footsteps and yelling. How could humans have gotten this close without him noticing? There was no way... Maybe he was more injured than he realized. Dave didn't realize the nymph had spoken to him, asked him a question, until he was roughly picked up. He bit back a few curses at the pain that flared along his spine and the fin that ran along it that had been crushed by the nymph's arms. He could deal with a little pain. Better than being turned to food for the humans. "I can stay out for about thirty minutes without passing out if I need to. It's not suggested, though..." He mumbles, trying to keep himself relaxed. He had seen humans and multiple other creatures run before, but would have never thought it would be this bumpy. 

The nymphs gait was surprisingly graceful in comparison t other beasts, but Dave wouldnt be one to know that. .. Dirk shifted the weight of the merman more onto his shoulders, looping Daves arms around his neck. He moved one of his own arms to hold the other to his back, and his free arm wrapped beneath Daves tail, making sure he wouldnt get too many abrasions from the forest floor as he ran.... The blonde nymph ran like this for nearly twenty minutes every once in a while he'd speed up even more , wanting to lose their pursuit quickly. From his weaving and constant movement, it was pretty evident that he had done this probably more often than he'd like to admit.. Against whatever he would say, Nymphs were the hunted. Dirks gills were burning again, and his vision was beginning to tunnel- he hadnt had any water all day, and nor had he treated himself from the days earlier chase. It barely occurred to him that having the merman on his back would most likely result in his orange yellow blood staining them both as the cuts reopened from the jostling. Nor had it occurred to him that the cut he had received earlier on his arm from the mers scales would leave a bright trail if his blood dripped during his run. He was too tired to think of it. and hopefully it was just light enough that his blood wouldnt glow like the sun in a great highlighted path to them. But they finally reached the pool, and without so much as a 'ready?' Dirk upended the merman into the cool water.


	4. Chapter 4

Dave could tell that the nymph was having trouble running after a while. He didn't say anything, knowing for a fact that if he even tried to get him to stop, he would only get a sharp retort in reply. Dave also knew that they didn't need to stop. They had humans hunting them now, and he knew that if they were caught, the would probably both be tortured and killed. Dave also noticed the blood the dripped from the nymph's back and arm. The first few spots left a quite obvious trail after them and he knew that the humans would pick up on that very quickly. Some of them may not be very bright, but some were smarter than even he knew. Dave started discreetly catching the orange-yellow blood in a hand, his webbing between his fingers slowly being stained a different color. He made sure no more drops his the forest floor and the nymph weaved them in between the trees like an expert. Dave hadn't even seen the small pool until he was rudely dumped into it, a few drops of the nymph's blood flying out of his hand and landing on nearby foliage. Luckily most of it was taken in the water with him. As he sank in the water he took a multitude of large breaths, reveling in the clean water. He could finally breathe again.

Dirk stood at the pools edge, his chest shuddering and his gils still flared, the delicate folds trembling around his neck. His back stung like he had decided to lay on a bed of urchins, and he swallowed a growl with a dry mouth. His whole body glistened with a thin sheen of sweat, it was not often that he ran that hard nor that fast in a while. In his annoyance at treating the mer, he had forgotten briefly that he was on the run, and by the time he had remembered? well. He swiveled his head to look over his shoulder, making positive that they had lost them before he looked back to the pool and sat down at the edge, breathing harshly through dry gills, his mouth hanging slightly open. His whole being focusing on getting air again. His head pounded, the orange of his eyes dimmed a bit before he lurched to the side. He was exhausted, and he had lost a lot of blood. Due to the thin nature of a nymphs skin, he night be able to heal fast, but when he bled, he bled alot and fast. It was a defense mechanism in a way. His strange colored blood was poisonous if consumed in large quantities, not to mention its sour taste repulsed many from eating them. Nymphs had evolved to bleed more when they were bitten, like a venomous fish, to get spat back out by the predator. but right now it wasnt doing Dirk much good. His gills flickered dryly again, the flaps native only to nymphs slipped over the orange folds of his gills, hiding them when his body realized they weren't doing any good. like a hood over the folds, hiding them and protecting them again from the dry air. Dirks eyes fell shut and his erratic breathing became even more rare as fell off into an uncomfortable half sleep, borderline of unconsciousness.

Dave stays under for a little while longer before swimming slowly up in the water. Luckily the pool was deep. He would have to go exploring sometime soon. The fin on his back felt worse than it had when the adrenaline had been coursing through his veins, his mind set on high alert as they ran. Well, the nymph ran. It was probably broken. He would have to set it soon. Dave' sheaf popped above the water and he swam over to the edge of the pond, seeing the nymph nearly out cold. He frowns. The nymph, he didn't even know his name yet, had done so much for him already and Dave promised to do the same for the other. He swam over to an adjacent side of the pond and dived down. He was almost positive he had seen some type of kelp down here... There it is. He plucks a few large strands of the kelp off of their respective plant and swims back up. He didn't know much about caring for mers, much less nymphs, but kelp and sea weed were always what was used to stop excessive bleeding. Dave rolls the nymph over carefully, moving him closer to the body of water so he could reach easier and so that the nymph was now laying on his stomach. He peeled back the toga carefully, frowning at the mess his back was and started carefully applying the kelp to his wounds. He hoped that nymphs weren't allergic to kelp or anything...

Dirk hissed, the sound only escaping his mouth as his gills had covered themselves- he choked on the noise and weakly convulsed some. The cuts on his back were deep- from both a whip and something more, it looked like he had been almost skinned alive. All the cuts were like a butchers to a slab of meat- preparation to be gutted. In short- pretty gruesome, and it looked unbearably painful. The nymph lifted an arm towards Dave- maybe trying to fend him off, but he let it fall limply over the side of the pool- his finger tips dipping into the water with small angry ripples. Wearily, after a while, Dirk cracked open his eyes to look at the merman- his irises glinting like buried treasure or a piece of glass hidden in the sand. His chest trembled with every breath and he couldn't think of a word to say aside from the occasional hiss of a curse at a particularly hard breath. He wouldn't of been so fucked over if he hadn't felt pity for the merman... if he had just moved along then he would probably be safe at home in his lean-to by the cliffs. A clam for dinner and a cold breeze from the sea his alcove overlooked. But no, instead he was here, his bleeding barely staunched and his breath all but lost. His limbs ached and he felt feverish, sick to his stomach. Too much. Oh and there was also a goddamn merman next to him. His day couldn't get any better. Once he finally mustered up enough air to say something, the slits along Dirks ribcage frilled out, puffing underneath Daves hands for a moment before shrinking back under the folds of his skin and his words came out as only a whisper. "i suppose you can say we're even now."

Dave continued placing the sticky kelp onto his wounds. He could see some of the blood seeping out from ones he had already placed, and he quickly layered a few of them. He ran out quickly and ducked back under the water, his tail coming up above the water for a spilt second before disappearing again. Dave grabbed more kelp than the last time, knowing he would need it. He noticed that the nymph was awake now, well, at least more than before. He noticed the little hisses that he made as well, "Hey, just try and keep as still as possible, alright? No use in losing more blood than you already have. I'm serious. You're turning the plans orange over here. And we're not really even. You did more than this for me, but I don't exactly have resources, nor can I go anywhere to get them." He sighs to himself as he continues placing the kelp on his back, "These work so much better in the water... Would you mind if we moved you? If you don't want to, that's fine, it would just probably stop the bleeding faster if you did. I mean you're a nymph, so it should be fine. You're not allergic to mer water or something stupid like that are you? That would be completely ridiculous." He continued to talk as he ducked back under the surface of the water for more kelp. "-nd I mean that would be completely illogical, right? What kind of squid could even live in a place like this?"

"youre really into excess chatter, arent you" Dirk groans; normally he wouldve laughed at the boys nervous outpouring of verbiage. but right now, the thought of water overcame him. All he really needed was water.. but a prickle if distrust pointed in his chest... once he was in the water, the merman would be able to do anything. They had the clear advantage in water, no matter how adept a swimmer Dirk was. He sighed out, choking again before his eyes found Daves. "go ahead.. i wont drown or somethin" he said weakly, lifting himself on tremulous arms to lean more over the edge. Letting gravity take the lead and he rolled into the water with a sharp splash. The gasp that escaped his lips sounded agonized, his gills fluttered and he sunk low in the water, swallowing the bubbles of air that swirled from his mouth. The cold if the water burned, but he could feel immediately a difference in how he felt. Significantly better as he gulped at the water, his body going limp. minimally aware of how cramped their situation was. A mermaid and a nymph in what was basically a pond. What the others would say to this. wow


	5. Chapter 5

Dave dips under the water again, letting the nymph sink a little in the water while he gathered more kelp from the rapidly diminishing plant at the bottom. He carries it with him as he swims back over to the nymph. Dave grabs him by the edge of the toga and tugs him up so he could sit on a sort of ledge that he had noticed before hand. "Lay on your stomach again. I need to finish applying these to your back. Won't take long. Promise." He eventually helps the nymph roll over again and then starts applying the kelp. This was awkward. He had never been in this close of proximity with a nymph before, especially with limited amount of water space. Dave could always go down, and he would love to, he had always enjoyed deeper waters, he thought the darkness was soothing, but he needed to at least finish this first before he did anything else. He still didn't feel well, and he knew that the poison from the other waters was still in his system. Maybe some sleep would help it... He finished applying the kelp. "There... That should be it for now. If something else happens, come and get me. I'll be at the bottom somewhere." He says.

Dirk nodded noncommittally, letting his gills fan out from his neck in the water. the light orange filters shimmering from the surface of the water. Visible from the depths of the bottom. The gills at his ribcage did the same, opening and closing in short spurts of energy. From the dying light above the pool, Dirks body seemed to carry a faint glow, flickering with his heartbeat. - Dirk awoke sometime later, his body swiveling around in the water, disturbing it. He felt much better save for the pain at his back. This water didnt seem to be too infected with whatever poison it was that had been taking the waters. benefit of being this far inland he supposed. Dirk opened his eyes blearily, the translucent double lid blinking back at the sunlight that filtered through the green canopy above them. He took in a slow breath, both of the water an the air, releasing it in a cascade of bubbles over the surface of the water. Eventually it occurred to him that he should see if the merman in the pool with him was still alive or if his aid hadnt done anything for him afterall. Dirk dived under the water, his loose clothing billowing slightly around his chest and legs. His bangles clinked and he finally made it to the bottom where the merman was coiled into the small space. Cautiously, he grazed a lean finger over the mermans arm, his feet poised to kick him back to the surface if the other went to strike in surprise. Something that wasnt uncommon among mers. "are ya going to sleep all day?"

Dave had swum down to the bottom of the pool that he had been placed in and had coiled at the bottom against the soft sand. He fell asleep almost instantly. He didn't really want to wake up and when the nymph came down and woke him up, he just groaned quietly, a few bubbles floating up and back towards the surface. "Don't wanna wake up..." He mumbles quietly. He didn't want to wake up. When he was asleep he couldn't feel the pain that had grown worse over the time he had been away from the ocean. He knew it was going to, he just didn't know it was going to be this bad this time. Maybe it was because he was out of the poison now and it was starting to work it's way out of his system. Or maybe it was because the poison was still killing him, even after he had gotten out of it. "Jus' let me sleep..." He groans, rolling onto his stomach and waving a hand at him, the fin jutting out of his back, flaring out painfully. Yeah, definitely broken. He lets out a long breath, more bubbles floating up past his face. "Just leave me alone for a little while longer... Or forever... Yeah, forever works. I can sleep forever... That sounds nice..." He smiles slightly, his eyes drifting closed again. He wasn't exactly coherent at the moment, mumbling to himself more than he was talking to the nymph.

The nymph snorted- a collection of bubbles bursting about the mermans face and he swatted at him. "do I look like I give a shit that you want to sleep? we, no wait, I've been through hell and you've fucked over seriously. But the humans will be here eventually, this is one of the only clean water sources and I really dont want you to get caught in such a-" He growled and shook his head, thinking differently of what he was saying and kicking up to the surface. Grumbling and bubbling angrily about evolution and why Nymphs should've had it it better at the speed thing. But tails be screwed. He had legs and that worked fine for him. As Dirk reached the edge the scene about the pond, blatantly, horrified him. For one, it would be evident that he had been here from the footprints and splattered yellow-orange blood that soaked the ground. And not for the second time that day, Dirk cursed his 'evolutionary' stigma. He placed his arms over the edge, his fingers dipping at the smears from last night. "oh hell there is no way this is gonna get cleaned off" He grumbled again and began to pull himself from the water when the clamor of people running through the trees reached his ears again- and yes, again, they were too close. But Dirk didn't think he could go another mad dash with the merman on his back, or even without. He cursed and dove back into the water

Dave grumbled, but stayed where he was. He wasn't moving for the life of him. He hurt too much to move and he was near positive that moving would only make it worse. He almost fell back asleep until the nymph came splashing back into the pond. Huh, he had thought for sure that the nymph had left him to go off to where ever it was that he planned on going. His muddled brain kept trying to think of why the nymph had returned and then settled on the humans. He himself was honestly too out of it to care about the damage the humans could do if they found them. They were deep, but not so deep that the humans couldn't reach them. He sighed at the thought, bubbles trickling upwards. They probably needed to try and hide didn't they? But... He was so tired... Why couldn't they just stay right here? Yeah, that sounded like a nice idea. Plus the sun was going down, that should his most of them anyways. But.. What happened when darkness came? Dave couldn't quite remember, it was on the tip of his tongue... Oh, right! Bioluminescence. He glowed. He smiled slightly at the thought. He had always thought that was so cool...

Dirk actually did the first thing that came to his mind, he was a survivalist and right now- his glowing would kind of fuck up what chances they had of not getting noticed. "get the fuck up" Dirk hissed- scrambling underneath Daves tail and curling into himself. He avoided getting cut too badly by his scales and he placed both his hands over his gills to avoid letting bubbles escape. "i'm sorry just keep down. alright they might not see you.. I..." From the surface the leaves could be seen trembling as humans coralled into the area, torches catching the ripples of the water. Dirk fell totally silent, waiting for the threat to pass Trying hard not to feel the rage against the humans... He had known too many nymphs who had met their ends to parties like this. He could only hope the other had the logic and the consciousness to not make a bloody movement.

At first, Dave tried to shove the nymph off, not sure what the other was doing. He squirmed trying to get out of his grip, "What the hell are you doing, you fucker?" He grumbled, trying to push the nymph's hands off of his gills, "Stop that. It tickles dammit." Then he saw the light flickering into the small ripples across the top of the pond. The humans were here. He fell completely still, everything coming into a sharper focus in his mind, especially the pain he was in at the moment. He slowly curls in on himself, letting out a low hiss of pain. "Oh god... Shit, shit, shit..." He chants. Trying to think of anything other than he pain. "Did you know you're really warm?" Not exactly what he was going for, but it would have to do.

Dirk wound his arm over Daves gills and his hand clamped onto his mouth. His lips moved next to Daves ear, letting him feel the vibrations of his words rather than hear them. He wouldnt risk any noises.. "yes thank you for that but really keep quiet " Dirks body was tangled beneath Daves, trying to keep his glow from being noticed up top.. It seemed to work because the lights from up top vanished after a few things were dropped into the pool to find a reaction. But Dirk didnt let either of them respond. He knew better. After a while, he released Dave and pushed at him a little. "alright you oaf you can get up now" He said, his voice rising a little in a ticklish stream of bubbles at Daves neck and cheek. in someway he was relieved, but on the other hand , Dirk was kind of freaking. They had the rest of the night ahead of them... he did, and.. he had that time with a merman. Whom he had now 'saved' three times in a row... to say the least not what he had expected of his weekend on the run. jolly good fun or something.

Dave relaxed as soon as possible, trying to keep the pain in his muscles and practically his whole body to as minimal as possible for the moment. He lets out a hiss again, this time the bubbles flowed freely to the surface, unobstructed by a hand. He didn't even care that the nymph could probably kill him if he wanted in his weakened state, all he cared about was getting out of this pain. "Hey..." He huffs out a breath, "Would you mind knocking me out or something?" The rows of luminescence down the sides of his tail lot up the water just slightly in the darkness that had fallen over the pool. Usually he would flaunt them, not many mers had bioluminescence, so he loved showing it. But showing it would take movement and movement took energy, which he had none of.

Not that Dirk would revel all too much. After all, his whole body was bioluminiscent, er his blood was... He sighed and reluctantly let himself float to the surface.Still trying to find some justification for is unsightly kindness for the merman. "i wont knock you out but ican reset your fins, Fins " True, dirk couldve killed the other then and there, but he couldnt see an upside to that aside from not having to lug him around everywhere. "it'll be dark for a few hours yet, so I cant leave the pool for much other than a spear and finishing of the gut job they started ... Dirk tried not to shiver at the memory. Still all too fresh, it had only happened barely two days earlier. His stupidity and the humans brutality... if he hadnt of gotten away, then someone would be enjoying dirk filet right now.

"Not really sure I want to deal with anymore pain right now..." He mumbles quietly. He did know however that if he didn't get his fin set properly soon, that he would probably live with a deformed fin for the rest of his life, unless of course he wanted to have it set after it healed, which would be even more painful. "...Fine... Set it. Maybe it'll get my mind off of all of this..." He sighs, bubbles rising up yet again. He shifted just slightly, surprised when it didn't hurt anymore than it had originally. He stretched out in a more comfortable position on the sand at the bottom, glad that he could at least move without it hurting more than he did at the moment.

Dirk took in a breath of the air and then dived back into the water- letting the liquid course over his gills a moment with his speed before he reached the bottom again, digging his feet into the ground on either side of Dave as he slid his hands up the others fin. Carefully his jerked the broken pieces back in place- losing his mercy when it took more effort than he had thought, but in the end he reset every broken part. As well as carefully resting some of the kelp from the pond floor onto his own scratches.. Regrettably from his own hands... Once he was done he pulled back to the wall of the pool, sitting lightly- his eyes glowing brighter than the rest of his body. Holding his head uncomfortably. "y'know, nymphs didn't eat any mermen.. its a myth.. we don't.. just thought you should know."

Dave cried out when the bone slipped back into place. He dug his fingers into the sand, whimpering quietly. At least that pain took his mind off of the ache his body was in, but now that was back too.... "Thanks..." He says quietly, not releasing his grip on the sand a the few pieces of seaweed that he had grasped. He slowly released his grip, the pain in his fin slowly fading. He lets out a long breath and then sucks a few in. "Let's not do that again... Please." He rolls onto his side and looks over at the nymph, "And sorry to tell you... but mers actually do eat nymphs. I never did though." He smiles slightly, "So no need to kill me." He says.


	6. Chapter 6

Dirk nods, biting on his lip some. Feeling his head throb. "oh, don't feel sorry about it. Not breaking news or anything." He scores his fingers through his hair, letting the it wave around in the water, a spiky halo around his face. His vision ran a dark red-orange.Flickering menacingly in the dark, as if he was actually going to kill Dave. "i watched them eat my brother..." His voice burned even in the water. The bubbles that escaped his lips popping with spite. The memory still seared behind his eyelids... he could see the lights leaving his eyes and the last worldless plea from his lips.. At least he'd be strong still, and he's still survive.No matter what. Even if that meant he'd deal with this mer-boy. He sighed, the bubbles wreathing around his gills. Not sure if he should say more or not.

"Yeah... My brother was killed by nymphs over some stupid dispute over boundaries or something like that." He sighs, shifting his eye up so he was staring through the surface of the water above them both. "Yeah, that was a horrible experience. Let's stop talking about death, shall we?" He asks, not bothering to look at the nymph beside him. "Actually.. It'd be pretty nice if we could be friends or something like that. At least acquaintances." He does look over at the nymph this time, his red eyes catching the orange of the other. "I'm Dave by the way." He holds out a webbed hand towards the nymph, "I don't think I've formally introduced myself just yet."

Dirk was reluctant to take his hand, still struggling over boundaries and all that. But eventually, after a heavy breath, he took Daves outstretched hand; finding the webs of his fingers softer than he had expected. He gave a nod. "Im Dirk... I guess its.. cool to make your acquaintance. " he couldnt exactly say that it was nice to meet him. the whole event got him in a lovely gob of bloody shit. He withdrew his hand perhaps a bit more sluggishly than he intended, still somewhat confounded by the fact he was freaking cordially shaking a mermans hand. Reality shaken much?

Dave smiles, not at all bothered by the odd behavior. "Nice to meet you Dirk." He grins. He had always wanted to meet a nymph and makes friends. He had always kept it a secret, of course, even from his brother. No one needed to know anyways, right? His little secret. He lays back on the sand again, closing his eyes. "Now... If you don't mind, I'm going to go to sleep again... I'm in quite a bit of pain and I would rather escape it for the moment if possible."

Dirk gives a small half nod, not even bothering to offer a half smile to the other. He still wasn't totally comfortable with their situation even if they were 'acquainted' now. He didn't particularly know how to feel about this whole ordeal. He pulled his knees to his chest, shifting so that he was against the wall of the pool, giving Dave more room as he ducked his head between his knees, making himself small in the cramped space. He hadnt had this much contact in a while, and it was getting to him. Something was irritating but another part of it was welcome. it was hard to determine for Dirk as he was still feeling frazzled and, well, gutted. It was hard for the nymph to fall asleep, he did have his own pains, and he was still recovering from his exertion of earlier. Too much. He had tried to find some strand of mercilessness in himself so that he might run, and leave the merman.. or was it mercy for the dying? Let them die in peace or something.. he couldnt find either and Dirk wound up falling into a restless sleep- caught between thoughts of Dave and his concerns for everything else.

Dave fell asleep quickly, but didn't stay that way long. He shifted and turned in his sleep, waking up a multitude of times. He was never really comfortable when he slept, especially around others that could kill him. Something about the nymph, Dirk, was different though. Dave couldn't exactly pick it out with how muddled his brain had been for the past day or so, but it was something. Maybe it was just that Dirk didn't want to kill him, or it at least didn't seem that way. The more time he spent with Dirk, the better he got to know him. He may not have let much personal information slip, but Dave was slowly and surely starting to figure out his personality. He was tough, that was for sure. He was closed off, maybe because of what happened to his brother, or maybe it was something else. He didn't like leaving things hurt when he could do something about it... That was the one thing that caught Dave's attention the most. He had never even met another merman with that same type of thought.

It wasnt entirely true though. Someone like Dirk, they didnt just naturally think differently than the rest. There was a catch. There was aways a catch. In his case, it was more literal than it should be. He was always getting caught, always trying to help when he neednt be... or more like, trying to do as little damage as he could t his aggressors. but there was something behind him, a purpose to his kindness. He just didnt want to lose it again. He didnt want to snap or lash out. He didnt want to fight again. It had ended badly,the last time, and one could guess how it went by the fact that Dirk was still standing. 

\- Dirks mind drifted in his half sleep; where would he and Dave go in the morning? Dave couldnt be out of water long, and there werent alot of beaches with uncontaminated water. He couldnt bring him back to the tribe and their store of clean water.. there was a reason he lived alone, and it wouldnt do to bring their cornered lashings down on Dave. Eventually, Dirk opened his eyes fully, the dawn filtering into the dark water from above. He sat there for a while, delaying effort, stalling.. instead he as just watching the merman sleep. He didnt look peaceful in his rest either.. looks like they had that much in common at least.

Dave woke up a little while later, his bright, red eyes flashing open. The sun was just starting to come up and he sighs, rolling over onto his side and looking up at Dirk. "Mornin'..." He mumbles. "Did you sleep at all?" He asks, furrowing his eye brows and frowning slightly up at him. Dave moved so he was sitting up more than he was laying on the sand and the algae. "You didn't get much sleep did you?" He asks, bringing his tail closer to himself and wrapping his arms around it, resting his chin on top of it. He was just now noticing the bags under the other's eyes. "Wow... You really need some sleep, don't you?" He asks, "No, don't even answer that." He knew Dirk was only going to argue. "Just get some sleep, okay? I'm gunna go explore some of those caves down in the corner of the pond. See if they go anywhere." He smiles.

Dirk shook his head. He was never one to be able to sleep well out in the open. And he didnt want to leave himself so vulnerable, even if help was near.. He didnt trust the situation nor did he trust Dave much either. He had the benefit of being a survivalist, so he wouldnt allow himself to rest for now while he had energy left. He swam over to Dave. "no no, its fine, I'll come" his gills puffed again and he swam a little ahead, his movements in the water almost ethereal because of the luminescence of his skin, a fuzzy glow in the darkness of the caves. Yellow-orange colored lines were raised on his back, bordered with trenches in his skin, still raw but no longer bleeding. in some of the cuts, it was possible to even see Dirks muscles pulling as he swam. over his back, more scar tissue was visible over his skin. "cmon lets go. i can sleep later. I dont really need much right now." he pauses, contemplating what to say "no need to take a risk."

Dave sighs and rolls his eyes, following slightly behind him in the water. "Yeah, fine, whatever." He knew the other needed sleep, but if Dirk refused, what could he do? Well, he could knock him out, after all, he did have the advantage under the water, but that would be very bad for this sort of cautious relationship they had formed. And then Dirk would most likely kill him after he woke, if he didn't catch him in the act. Yeah, okay, no knocking out. He sighs, following him into the first cave. It was a little if a tight fit, especially with the two creatures in there. It looked like they ran deep though, and hopefully they would. Dave loved exploring new things. And now, he sort of had a partner to go along with him. Sort of. If the nymph stayed around long enough they may be able to go on more adventures, but he wasn't exactly sure how long the other male was going to stick around. This wasn't exactly normal behavior for either species, and he knew that very well. But maybe, just maybe he could get the other to trust him with time.


	7. Chapter 7

Dirk swims ahead for a little while- drawing his hands along the sides of the cave walls for as long as he could before it got cramped even to have his arms outstretched at odd angles. He turns around and drops to the floor of the cave, waving Dave past. "you go on first I'll just keep up the tail-end." he mutters in a flurry of bubbles. He runs a hand through his hair, flattening himself against the floor and waiting expectantly for Dave to swim over him- he could feel his gills swelling a little, uncomfortable in tight spots. he had never been particularly fond of enclosed spaces mostly because he had found himself in a cage one too many times. "seriously, i wont bite, and besides it looks like you do this more often than i do."

"if you say so." Dave shrugs and swims over him and further into the tunnels. He loved places like these even if it sometimes reminded him of the time he had spent in nets and things like that. Dave looses track of how many twists and turns he takes, and was really starting to hope that the nymph behind him had a better memory than he did. He finds a small alcove branching off of one of the tunnels and swims into it, turning around to face the nymph behind him, "This is a pretty cool place. And I hope you remember the way back... Cause I sure as hell don't..."

Dirks gills fluttered abrasively, irritated with the small space, but that was really the only hint he gives to his uncomfortableness. He swims up with a slight nod. "Yeah if needed I can navigate back. Open areas are easier to find, they smell fresher." He replies after a long moment, his hands curling in on themselves. The alcove might be open but he couldn't help but feel the pressure of the walls, it was pretty tight even now.

Dave looks the nymph over, frowning to himself slightly and sinking down just slightly so that he was resting comfortably on the stone floor of the alcove. "Are you okay? You seem pretty damn nervous right now..." He leans back on his forearms, tilting his head up to look up at the nymph again, red eyes flickering slightly in the darkness of the catacombs. He hadn't really realized that it had gotten this dark.

The nymph glows slightly in the dark, the yellow of his blood making him look slightly orange in the shadows. He looks up from his feet, not exactly meeting Daves eyes. "what? yeah I said I dont do things like this, didnt I?" he says distractedly, his fists gripping tighter at his sides. He doesnt make eye contact, instead his eyes flicker around the area, the bright orange irises dilated slightly. "or never" He says even softer, his voice hard to hear.

"Then do you want to get out of here? I mean, if you really didn't like it that much you didn't have to come with me at all, you know. I can do things alone. And you should at least trust me enough to not kill you by now. If I killed you there would be no way for me to get out if here without dying myself." He swims up a little bit so he was floating in front of him.

Dirk shakes his head stubbornly. "no, really its.. its fine. I figure from the water pressure that we'll reach open air or water again before too long." He says, not actually sure of his ability to distinguish one thing from another in his heightened state of fear. Maybe a bluff of the mind.. but that much remains to be seen. "eventually.. and I know you wont kill me... at least I hope ya wont. and i wont leave you to die. but going back now might even fuck me up more."

"I just hope that water's not poisoned..." He mumbles, more to himself than the nymph in front of him. "I won't kill you. That'd be completely pointless." He shrugs and swims a little closer to him, "Shall we try and find that open water you were talking about."

Dirk nods in affirmation, "good to know. an dont worry from what i can tell, its not poisoned but . that could potentially be just me." He shrugs as well, beginning to swim slowly on with Dave, cautious and conservative in all his movements, very closed in on himself. "yeah hopefully wont be too long"

"Yeah, but you seriously didn't have to come with me, you know. Je would have gotten hella turned around and lost, but still. You see, pretty messed up in tight places..." Dave shrugs and swims a little further, turning a sharp corner before coming up on a large open pool where he could see the moon starting to set above the surface. "Woah... This is awesome."

Dirk nodded some and as they swam on his irritation seemed to grow. Dirks eyes find the moon and the open water, and immediately the nymph speeds past the mer with a crazy seocnd wind. He literally propels himself out of the water and into the air with a splash. "fuck yes air"

Dave laughs quietly at the nymph, glad that they were more on friendly terms now instead of that kind if thing where he was almost afraid to go to sleep because he was afraid of getting eaten, or killed, or something along those lines. He comes up to the surface a little slower. He kept his gills below the surface of the water but swam next it him, leaning his arms on the ground. "Feel better now?"

Dirk rolled his shoulders, hesitating before giving a nod- his own gills shivering some in a happy frill of movement. "like a fish in water or a bird in air. I really dont even care right now Im just glad as fuck to be out of that cave." He admits lightly through a heavy breath of air, definitely more at ease now than earlier.

"Yeah, I can tell..." Dave looks over at him after placing his head on his arms, using them as a sort of crude pillow. "Do you mind me asking why that bothered you so much? Or are you just... What's the word for it? Claustrophobic! Yeah, that's it. Are you claustrophobic?"

Dirk shakes his head slightly, but he was unsure of he really did mind or not, but he felt as if he owed that much to Dave, an answer or explanation at least for the trouble he caused. "well yeah, its traumatically inflicted claustrophobia. Er, sorry that sounds like a garble of words. to put it simply, I.." his voice sounded like it was about to break for a moment before he continues. "I've been in some tight places, like cages.. by humans and mers alike.. I've been trapped in such a small place that I couldnt move enough to be able to breathe, or I couldnt stretch, nothing." He sighs, trying to get this out, he'd never actually said something like this- trying to explain it. "After too many experiences of the like added on to already disliking enclosed spaces, I just cant handle them.. i feel like i cant escape.. Like I'm back in that godforsaken birdcage singing a song that wont ever fall on the ears of someone that cares- Nothing but over the filmy bubbles of mers that couldnt give a shit or humans who think Im too much of a freak to save. Closed spaces... the smaller the worse.. I just cant escape the feeling that something bad will happen or.. fuck ok Im just blithering like an idiot now."

"No, no, I totally get it, it's fine and I understand." Dave shrugs and smiles slightly, "We don't have to go in there again. This pool seems to be bigger anyways. At least a little bit. As long as there's oxygen in the water I'm good." He nods to himself, "But I'm sorry you had to go through that man... I really am. Sorry my kind is so bitchy. I wish they weren't. I mean, our races are enough alike that we could all have a grand ole time in the water together and yet we fight like guppies."

"more like japanese samurai fish. senpoku if you dont host some hate or another and dont fight for your liege." Dirk repulses the urge to scoff, running a hand through his hair, letting his orange eyes fall back on Daves red ones. "yeah, well, we'll be good there. normally oxygen... but i dont know how many clean pools there are." he hums slightly, lifting himself out of the water again to sit on the edge, swishing his feet in the water. He splays his fingers at the moss around the edge, feeling it between his fingers, letting it reassure him again that they were all good. "so what now?"

"I don't know." Dave shrugs and flips around so that his back was facing the rock wall. He lays his fin flat and leans his head back on the moss covered rocks. It was more comfortable that he would have thought it would have been. "If we co anywhere else you'll have to carry me. And I don't really think you want to do that. But there maybe more pools connected to this one by the other branches in the catacombs. But you don't like going down there, so if I did go and find another one, you would have to find it on land. I'd rather you not go freaking out in there again. Where are we anyways?"

"I didn't freak.." Dirk mutters disgruntled, he shrugs off the feeling, trying to to feel like Dave was going to treat him differently now that he knew. "I can carry you, but first we gotta know where to go.. if you want to go back in the death traps, be my guest I can chill above ground and splash in some fuckin puddle." He looks around, trying not to be too sour but failing to make his pokerfaced exterior meet his interior in calmness. "looks like we're in the woods north of the village... my home's a couple days up the ridge over there."


End file.
